On Tuesday, May 1st, University of the Cumberlands (UC) baseball alumnus Jared Martin (Cynthiana, KY) signed a contract to play for the Schaumburg Boomers of the Frontier Independent Professional Baseball League. Martin becomes the 2nd Patriot since 2012 to sign with the team as he joins Patriot alum Sean Mahley.

Martin signed with the Boomers on June 24th and has appeared in 4 games thus far. Jared came to Cumberlands as a highly touted freshman, coming off of a Kentucky State Championship team at Harrison County High School. Not only did he start from day one, but he was one of the Patriots' most consistent hitters for his entire career. Martin played shortstop for two years at UC before making the move to 3rd base, but was a starter all four years for the Patriots. As a freshman, Martin made a name for himself being named the Mid-South Conference Freshman of the Year after hitting .371 with 62 hits. During his senior season, Martin batted .317 with 22 extra-base hits, 15 doubles, 5 home runs, and 41 RBIs.

Martin would rewrite some history for the Patriots after a stellar career. He now sits in 2nd place all-time for the most hits in a career with 229, 17 hits shy of breaking the school record held by the late Jason Ellis with 246. He also is now 5th all-time in doubles for a career with 48. Being a starter all four years of his career at UC, Martin would crush the games played record for the Patriots with 213, breaking Jason Ellis's mark of 186 set back in 2002. For his career, Martin would be nothing short of outstanding, having a batting average of .318 with a slugging percentage of .417. He would total up 229 hits including 48 doubles, 3 triples, 6 home runs, and 130 RBIs. Martin would also be walked 44 times and steal 33 bases while scoring 133 runs in his career. Couple all those stats with a fielding percentage of .923 over his career at UC and Martin will go down as one of the best overall players the Patriot program has produced.

Team manager Jamie Bennett is in his 3rd season as the Manager of the Boomers. He played collegiate ball at the University of Tennessee and was drafted in the 20th round of the MLB draft by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2000. He comes to the Boomers after being the pitching coach of the Gary South Shore Railcats for five seasons.

UC's Head Coach Brad Shelton added, "I am proud of Jared. He had a great career for us and now he is getting an opportunity to play professionally. He left here with several school records and is near the top of several other statistical categories. I am also proud of the fact that he left here with a degree. He is a man who has his priorities straight: his relationship with Christ, then his family, friends, and teammates, and finally his academics and baseball. He had a great work ethic as a student and player. Coaches in the MSC always commented on how classy Jared was and they appreciated how hard he played. Every summer, he went to play in the best collegiate leagues he could play in. He led by example in the weight room and in practice. I am happy his hard work has paid off. He is a great player and teammate. I look forward to following his pro career."

The Schaumburg Boomers are currently 25-19 on the season and 18-5 at home. They currently hold a 4 game winning streak as they near the All-Star Break. For more information on the Boomers or to follow Jared throughout the season, visit www.boomersbaseball.com.

For more information on the University of the Cumberlands baseball team, you can follow them on Twitter at @uccoachshelton and visit the athletics website at www.cumberlandspatriots.com.